Can you go with a super fat counter instead? The stove will need to be raised, but the dishwasher won't--plop your new fat counter on top. It works better with a modern style but I bet you can do traditional with a wood skirt or something.

(My cabinet maker accounted for counter height and provided pullouts--just ask your guy because they all seem to do it their own way.)

I don't know, fori. I currently have Formica countertops. I need to gain 1 1/2'' to 2'' in height here. I don't think that even 3 cm granite counters would be sufficient, unless I placed some thick intervening structure between the cabs and the counters, and I'm not sure how to provide a skirt for granite or quartz. But this is the kind of brainstorming I appreciate.

I'm also trying to decide if I should just hire a KD and let him/her deal with this stuff.

If your cabinets can be matched, you'd plop the new counter on plywood. Nice edge on the granite, then a bit of wood molding under the granite to cover the plywood, like minicrown. If you can match it, it just becomes a bit of a decorative touch to the cabinets, but it would be subtle because it would still be under the overhang.

Or, if the style works, you can have a really thick granite edge laminated around the sides to cover anything. You see it done big and boxy in modern kitchens, or as a very ornate double ogee kind of thing in formal kitchens. It might be worth talking to a fabricator to see what they can do.

Doing counters instead of cabinets allows you to shrink it down again for resale, although I don't think it would actually be necessary.

If you are raising all the base cabinets to a new height and not adding any new cabinets, I suppose it could be done either way, but I think the thicker countertop is a good solution.

If you are adding new cabinets that are Made two inches taller...the toe kicks would be out of alignment between the old an new unless you also specified a non standard toe kick to match new to old.

The stove does not necessarily need to be raised unless it is a slide in which overlaps the counter. If it is a freestanding, the counter will be slightly higher than the edge of the stovetop and will have to be treated accordingly. HOWEVER...stove tops actually used to be recessed slightly within the body of the stove so they sat at slightly lower than counter height, because you dont work right at the burner level, you work at the top of cookware level which adds several inches.

Unfortunately, a bunch of really good posts disappeared from this thread.

I think the top of a freestanding stove (induction) would be below the level of the bottom of the new countertops, so I would need to find some trim, molding, or something to fill in the gap on the sides of the cabinets. Not sure I like this idea from a cleanliness perspective. More to consider. I can't make any progress with any other decisions until I figure out how to manage the taller lower cab issue.

We did 38" base cabinets in our last home, because I am tall. They were Ikea cabinets with adjustable legs so we just cranked 'em all the way up and then made the rest up with the counter, which was white laminate with a custom birch edge, quite modern. It was probably 1.75-2" thick and looked great. A laminated granite or marble edge of that thickness could also look incredible!

The stove was not an issue, since it also had adjustable legs. We were able to get the top edge of it level with the counter, perhaps not ideal but worked just fine.

As noted, the DW was not a problem. We covered the kick space with the cabinetry toekick and it all matched up perfectly.

Oooh! I'm feeling so much better about our island being about 2" higher than it used to be. It was the result of trying to maintain an existing brick wall on the back of the island, and the choice was go 2" high or 2" low, and we opted for high.

I agree with the others that it is easier to make the height change in the countertop than to start pulling out cabinets and jacking them up. I don't know the construction of your cabinets, but it could be difficult to do. And as others have mentioned you'll have to change your toekick to cover the raised area.